Okay, I've been doing reading here and I bought the book. I think I have everything figured out, except when I can let my daughter's hair dry. When it warms up it won't be an issue and she can bathe in the morning. In the past, she takes an evening shower or bath in the winter months and just goes to bed with wet hair. Sure it would be perfect if we could take care of it after school so she could have time for her hair to dry before bed time but due to numerous days with therapy and other activities this just isn't possible many nights. She also doesn't like the blow dryer so I rarely use one. Anyone else have this problem? Or is it okay to sleep on her wet hair? It would seem to my reading that would be counter-productive.

Sleeping with wet hair is horrible on curly hair. Also, curly hair really shouldn't be washed more then once a week, twice if wavy or not as dry as normally curly hair. My daughter wears a shower cap in the shower. We dampen and deal with tangles in the morning. And we wash Sunday mornings so she has all day for it to dry naturally.

Lots of curlies wash more often than once or twice a week, especially if they are using styling products. Very few can get away with less than that. CO-washing is very good for your hair and helps to keep it hydrated and moisturized! There are lots of tips on this site:

You could try "Plopping" her hair and scrunching out excess moisture with a T-shirt but it takes a long time to air dry. How about using the blowdryer on LOW setting? You may only need to do that for 15 mins. or less. The stronger the curl pattern the less you would need to wash, she might be able to get away with washing on the weekend and spritzing with Lavender Water or Conditioner/Water mix during the week if she's not using a lot of stylers.

Sleeping with wet hair is horrible on curly hair. Also, curly hair really shouldn't be washed more then once a week, twice if wavy or not as dry as normally curly hair. My daughter wears a shower cap in the shower. We dampen and deal with tangles in the morning. And we wash Sunday mornings so she has all day for it to dry naturally.

Originally Posted by ksondy

we do that too. due to eczema she doesnt get in the tub every day, so i usually just spritz her with a detangling spray or water in the morning and style her hair from there.

We did start co washing this past weekend and it seems to be making a difference already. I'll have to experiment with how often she needs to wash her hair. I might back off how often she bathes now that we have finally found a deoderant that works for her. Before we didn't have a choice and she loves to play in the water so her hair always ends up wet.

I was finally able to convince her to let me use the diffuser on low setting but I have to hold the cold blast button in almost constantly. She also doesn't like it by her ears so I might try getting her some ear plugs.

I have this same dilemma because my daughter bathes at bedtime. I have moved her bathtime back by about 15 minutes and that has helped.

While her hair is still very wet, I rake through Mixed Chicks leave-in and then scrunch out the excess water with a microfiber towel. That has made a huge difference. Just be sure to squeeze and not rub the towel on the hair. Then I scrunch in just a little gel over the top, so it dries crunchy while she sleeps to help hold the curl (someone on the 3c board suggested the gel). If we have time and if she is in the mood, I sometimes diffuse just a little before bed.

Squeezing out the water with the MF towel has been the biggest help, though.

In general, I have found that adding more moisture to her hair has helped immensely even after she sleeps on it. The hair is in better shape and is less "messed" and tangly when she wakes. Now, I wash her hair at the beginning of her bath and let the conditioner sit on her hair the entire bath, then rinse it at the end.